When I was still teaching full time, I developed a bad series habit. In an effort to read as much as possible so I could talk with my students, I didn't usually read the complete series of anything. The first book was enough to give me the flavor and allow me to make recommendations to my kids whenever we'd visit the media center.
I'm trying to break that habit, and I just finished up the second book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. It's been awhile since I read book one, but the story is fast and witty and easy to dive into. It's also a series that Joseph Campbell would have a field day analyzing.
Clary and Jace are still fighting the forces of evil, especially their father, the notorious Valentine. Add to the demons and life-or-death situations the fact that Clary is still inexplicably drawn to Jace, and that he seems to return her affections, and you've got archetypal sexy sibling drama. Will they or won't they? Should the reader even be rooting for this doomed and incestuous love affair? With a visit to the Fey court, a newly turned vampire, and a familiar cast of Shadowhunters, City of Ashes races along to the explosive climax which, once again, ends without the bad guy's corpse. One of the characters rightly cautions the others that the lack of body should be taken as proof that Valentine is still out there, somewhere, waiting to strike. Considering the series is far from over, I'd say the character is spot on.
Fans of The Hunger Games, The Lightning Thief, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone will love the way this series mixes battle, mythology, and the modern world. Be prepared for a wild ride if you follow Clary and Jace's adventures!
Check in with the other 100 Books Challenge participants and cheer them through the half-way point!
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